∎ A number of companies from the US and China plan to build networks of several thousand satellites each to enable access to the Internet from any point on Earth. These satellites will be stationed in low Earth orbit.

∎ If these plans are put into practice, the global Internet infrastructure will acquire a whole new dimension. This would have far-reaching conse-quences for Internet access, the security and resilience of Internet infra-structure, and power relations in global Internet governance.

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∎ The home countries of the leading companies – above all the US, followed by China – would have extensive potential for political influ-ence. They would be able to control, at the level of the Internet’s global infrastructure, the worldwide flows of information.

∎ This research paper draws two scenarios to illustrate the range of possible developments and the corresponding potential responses: one describes the development of global oligopolies, the other a form of politically regulated global competition.

∎ German and European political decision-makers should use regulations and public funding to work towards a future Internet infrastructure that is secure and reliable. The basis for this is the redundancy and diversity of the underlying technology. To this end, the new satellite constellations can be an important part of an appropriate mix of technologies.

∎ It would be both politically and economically desirable for Europe to build its own constellation.

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As the world is rapidly becoming more technologically advanced, reliable and affordable global connectivity through space-based platforms is quickly becoming a reality. This paper will examine the emerging trend for super satellite constellations to provide global communication coverage and how this could be a game changer for the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) ability to enforce sovereignty in the north. The paper provides suggestions about how this new technology could be used and potential areas where the CAF should invest resources to ensure our Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) enterprise is able to take advantage of this new technology.

Current space acquisition, vehicle processing, and operations are too cumber-some and expensive to meet future emerging war fighter needs. The cost associ-ated with placing assets into orbit has been the greatest problem to the United States (US) fully recognizing its potential in space. With the emergence of com-mercially available reusable launch vehicles, the military must consider the pos-sibility of building an internal space lift capability as a core competency. Also, the military must develop and integrate new capabilities from space that will enable strategic capabilities, down to tactical war fighter implementation.

Satellite communications dominate current and planned military and government communications systems and make Net-Centric Warfare possible. This course provides a review of current and future military satellite communications. Internet protocol (IP) and IP over Satellite (IPoS) are addressed showing this protocol's strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator of Net-Centric warfare.

This Special Report is the sixth in a series from the Rebuilding America’s Military Project of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, which addresses the U.S. military’s efforts to prepare for future challenges and rebuild a military depleted after years of conflict in the Middle East and ill-advised reductions in both funding and end strength.

SpaceX (the brainchild of Elon Musk) is an aerospace company that is currently developing a constellation of satellites to deliver internet worldwide under the name Starlink. Thanks to reusable launch rockets, these low-orbit satellites cost a fraction of the price of typical satellite launches, making it easier and more affordable to launch satellites at scale.

More than 2,500 active satellites now orbit the Earth, and amateur astronomers and other observers are seeing more every month.1 Historically, satellite communication involved geosynchronous (GEO) spacecraft—large systems that have become increasingly capable over the years. But now nongeosynchronous-orbit (NGSO) communications constellations, including low-Earth-orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) satellites, are taking to the skies, and their number could soon soar. If current satellite internet proposals become reality, about 50,000 active satellites will orbit overhead within ten years. Even if the most ambitious plans do not come to pass, the satellites will be manufactured and launched on an unprecedented scale.

The phasing parameter F determines the relative phasing between satellites in different orbital planes and thereby affects the relative position of the satellites in a constellation. The collisions between satellites within the constellation can be avoided if the minimum distance among them is large. From among the possible values of F in a constellation, a value of F is desired that leads to the maximum value of the minimum distance between satellites. We investigate F for two biggest upcoming satellite constellations including Starlink Phase 1 Version 3 and Kuiper Shell 2. No existing work or FCC filing provides a value of F that is suitable for these two constellations. We look for the best value of F in these constellations that provides the maximum value of the minimum distance to ensure intra-constellation avoidance of collisions between satellites. To this end, we simulate each constellation for each value of F to find its best value based on ranking. Out of the 22 and 36 possible values of F for Starlink Phase 1 Version 3 and Kuiper Shell 2, respectively, it is observed that the best value of F with highest ranking is 17 and 11 that leads to the largest minimum distance between satellites of 61.83 km and 55.89 km in these constellations, respectively.